Live and Online
Alia’s Inspiring FUN classes are eclectic–something different every time. Most weeks, we do some Follow-me improvisation, Alia’s somatic grounding techniques, a short combination, genre, prop, or musicality study, and a free improv section for relaxation and joy.
Alia’s fun belly dance classes increase improv confidence, build trust in the body, and regulate the nervous system. I am passionate about this. Belly dance is already a stellar venue for relaxation and resolution. On top of this I have built in many Somatic Experiencing® (SE) strategies to highlight this feature. Dancers feel relaxed, energized, and happy. So will you!
Deep Dives!
We take you on Deep Dives, 5-week sessions that focus on improvising to specific elements of Oriental dance. Previous Dives have included Taqsim, Classic Song, Drum Solo, and Open Heart. See our current Deep Dive below!
Our Format draws from Ibrahim Farrah’s original class format, infused with Somatic Experiencing™ and Dancemeditation™, all of which have taught me so much about dance and improv.
- Something different every time
- Suitable for all levels, all styles
- Live online and recorded options
How does this work?
Each week, we stream the class live via Zoom.us. Every one is welcome to join the live class. It is so pleasant to be together with other folks who all want to enjoy themselves with dance! After the class, usually within 48 hours, the new class is posted for streaming. The class stays up for a week, when it is replaced with the next class. Zoom is free and easy to use. The sound and video quality are good, and there is virtually no lag in the livestream. We send reminder emails with the link shortly before each class begins.
Fun, energizing, grounding, and conceptually stimulating.
Simple on the outside, complex on the inside.
No notes, no muss, no fuss–just a fun dance class to build skills and enjoy dancing.
The most nurturing and freeing class….and so wonderful to glean movement ideas and feels from you…so creative
SF
I went from “OMG, I’m so free, “kitchen dancing” in front of other people!” in the first class, to feeling in charge of myself and my expression, while experiencing the same freedom. You have such a talent for bringing out who we are by creating a safe space where there are no mistakes. It’s the simplest thing, and yet the most powerful.
FP
Live Online Fun Classes
Because the myriad pandemics affect so many of us, we are pleased to offer our regular fee, PLUS a special Pay What You Like option and a Sliding Scale payment plan, for anyone financially impacted by disaster, exchange rates, injustice, etc.
Bobby Style 3: Transitions
How to Dance in Cursive
Not Bobby's actual style, but a class structured much as his classes were back in the 70s.
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So many of us print our dance in block letters, so there is a break between each move. We want to dance in seamless, flowing cursive script, with rich calligraphic lines! Learn more about this idea here
What made Bobby's classes special?Interleaving and varied practice. Rather than sticking with one thing until we get it, we keep the brain always reaching. We do different things so the brain never knows what to expect. We cycle through things randomly so they are different every time. Bobby never repeated. Never. Every single class, he did something completely different: combinations, ideas, music, everything. And one of the things he focused on was TRANSITIONS. Bobby taught the shift from one move to another as though they were individual steps themselves. Because we constantly re-encountered moves we knew conjoined in new ways and with moves we didn’t, we continuously re-contextualized every move—and learned those transitions anew, each time. This sort of constellation-making is a facet of high-level learning, as we encountered the familiar and the unfamiliar in multiple frameworks, different combos with different transitions to different music. |
What will we do?
Each week, we will take a short combination of classic moves and attend to the transitions between them–so that we can lilt from move to move easily. What this gives us the time and space to enrich each element of the move with those calligraphic attributes of thick and thin lines, flourishes, and adaption of size, speed, force, and so on–all of the dynamics and intentionality that make dance surprising and wonderful.
* Learn classic combinations with a focus on the transitions between the moves (different every time)
* Follow-me and open dance time, as with all our themes
* Develop expression, improv confidence, and personal style
Bobby's approach is invaluable for developing intuitive movement and confidence. Read more about Bobby's work here and here.
Transitions runs Tuesdays at 4pm EST for five weeks, from Jan 17 to Feb 28, 2023 .(no class Feb 7 or 14) See this in your time zone (add to calendar button in link). Each class is recorded (instructor view only). Each recording is available during the run of the class.
| Pay in Full $70 | |
| Pay Weekly $14.50/week for 5 weeks | |
| Sliding Scale $8.50/week for 5 weeks | |
| Pay What You Will. Open to All. BIPOC, LGBTQ+, MENAHT and any marginalized groups are invited use this option |